THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume XIV, Issue # 94, May 2, 2012
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
THE U.S. VICE PRESIDENT:
Myths & Misguided "Conventional Wisdom"
By Christopher G. Adamo
THE 2012 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION & THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR VICE PRESIDENT: WHO WILL PRESUMED REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY CHOOSE AS HIS VICE PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING MATE? THE BAD ADVICE BEING OFFERED BY REPUBLICAN PARTY PLAYERS
OPERATING UNDER WHOLLY WRONGHEADED PRESUMPTIONS & EXHIBITING A TOTAL LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE POTENTIAL TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT
ON THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN -- THE LIKELYHOOD THAT PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WILL JETTISON JOSEPH BIDEN & CHOOSE A CONSIDERABLY MORE
RADICAL LIBERAL LEFTIST TO BE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN THE 2012 ELECTION -- THE EXTREME INSTABILITY OF THE
CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE IN THE U.S.A., & THE CRITICAL NEED TO FULLY GRASP THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SITUATION -- THE STANDARD BELIEF OF MANY
GOP INSIDERS THAT BOTH MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES BASICALLY OPERATE IN A SIMILAR MANNER, ONLY DIFFERING IN THEIR POLICY AGENDA PREFERENCES --
HOW SUCH AN ASSUMPTION ON THE PART OF REPUBLICANS LEADS TO DISASTER FOR THE PARTY & ITS CANDIDATES
FULL STORY:
The nation has now reached that milestone of the presidential campaign in which major speculation is taking place regarding the choice of a running mate for
presumed Republican nominee Mitt Romney. And, while the ultimate decision will, of course, fall to Romney, a great deal of bad advice is being offered by party
players operating under wholly wrongheaded presumptions and exhibiting a total lack of understanding of the potential to negatively impact the campaign.
Across the political aisle, the political winds of the 2012 campaign cycle are such that an admittedly small possibility exists that Barack Obama might feel
compelled to jettison Joseph R. Biden, Jr., his current Vice-President, and opt for a more suitable alternative. Of course, in most peoples’ minds, the principal contender is
Hillary Clinton. And, even if such conjecture is proven to be completely baseless, it is nonetheless illustrative of the extreme instability of the current political
climate, and the critical need to fully grasp its significance.
For starters, the standard belief among too many GOP insiders is that both camps basically operate in a similar manner, only differing in their agenda preferences.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. Historically, it has been disastrous for Republicans to make such an assumption, and the repercussions would
be no less dire in this election cycle.
All too often, this foolish supposition leads to transparent pandering and the spewing of empty promises, which only spawn cynicism and disillusionment
among the targeted group of potential voters. Overwhelmingly, the dubious prospect of trifles bestowed from Washington, D.C., is not something to which
those on the political Right aspire. Rather, they seek the implementation of sound policy and the general improvement of the condition of the nation, which will
not afford them offerings from Washington, but expands their opportunities to operate under their own initiative and thus better themselves.
It should be of no consequence to the Republican candidate that his Liberal opponents enjoy success when engaging in the virtual purchase of votes by
promising the direct return of “benefits” from government coffers. The connection between Democratic Party leaders and their voting constituency is starkly
different from the relationship between grassroots Conservatives and aspiring Republican contenders.
Even more significantly, the contrast in motivating principles between the political Right and the political Left imposes limitations on Republican candidates
which, if ignored, result in significant voter alienation. All too often, the Democratic Party candidate triumphs not from a superior platform or greater appeal to
the electorate, but simply because the insipidness of a Republican campaign run on the premise of “moderation” and “appealing to the middle” so thoroughly
dissipates voter enthusiasm.
The historical case in point, which should never be forgotten, is the actuality of the electoral “success” of former President Bill Clinton. Venerated in the present
day and lauded by a sycophantic Liberal press, Clinton was never the political wizard that his revisionist cronies now assert him to have been. In both of his
elections, he received less than fifty percent of some of the lowest overall voter turnouts in the past eight decades. Yet, he won his races nonetheless, simply
because his Republican opponents generated even less enthusiasm among the voting base.
So, where does the choice of a nominee’s running mate fit into all of this? Again, the manner in which a Republican can motivate the electorate by virtue of a
particular nomination is markedly different from that of a Democrat. And that difference goes to the root of the growing divide between the methods and guiding
principles of voters who comprise the two major parties.
In 2012, it is difficult to truly assign a set of guiding precepts to the “typical Democrat.” Rather, the party is made up of a collection of special interest groups,
each of which sees an opportunity to advance its own agenda through access to federal power and, more importantly, federal dollars. In such an environment,
wholly disparate groups can seemingly come together, since each will stand to reap its own share from the federal trough. As a result, a vice-presidential
candidate who is starkly at odds with the head of the ticket can essentially lure a broader mix of voters into the ticket than one who holds a more limited
philosophical perspective.
Outside of the Beltway, the GOP voting base is eminently different in nature. It consists of a coalition of people who ascribe to a common set of values that are
overwhelmingly reflective of the nation’s traditions and the Judeo-Christian ethic. These Americans hold fast to such attributes as patriotism, in its true
historical sense, along with a veneration of the American ideal and the promises it portends for those who pursue it. Consequently, they are largely immune to
the allure of a vice-presidential candidate whose place at the table represents a token inroad for some particular subgroup. And, in contrast to the splintered
special interests that comprise Liberal America, such constituencies are neither a fringe nor a faction. Rather, they are the backbone of the Conservative
movement.
In contrast to the methodology of the political Left, the worth of the Republican Party ticket will be the sum total of the principles and ideals which it can
believably be expected to uphold and advance. Thus, the presidential nominee’s appeal will not be strengthened, but only diluted, by the choice of a running
mate who ascribes to a different set of core values. Efforts at “broadening the base” by nominating such an individual will essentially reduce the credibility of
the ticket to only those issues on which both candidates share a commonality of views.
In light of this, the most worthy approach, and also the most politically advantageous, would be to reassert the original purpose of the Vice-Presidency, which,
according to the U.S. Constitution was to ensure a continuation of a particular administration, and thus the continuity of the nation’s governance, in the event
that the President was unable to complete the term of office. In this simple and honorable manner, candidate Romney by a prudent choice of a running mate
could reassure the nation of his sincerity while solidifying confidence in the Conservative principles to which he has professed allegiance, and which are so
desperately needed to bring about national restoration.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics, Political Competition, & the Control of
Public Policy: Elections, Political Parties, Political Factions,
Ideologies, & Special Interest Groups
American Government & the U.S. Presidency:
Presidential Politics & National Leadership
The American Political System:
Politics & Government in the U.S.A.
The American Political & Cultural Left:
Liberals, Statists, Socialists, Marxists, & Other Leftists:
The Democratic Party, Academia, & the Mainstream Media
Liberalism Versus Conservatism in American Politics
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES:
COMPETING SYSTEMS OF POLITICAL THOUGHT
Conservatism
Traditional Conservatism: Questions & Answers
Conservatism: Attitudes, Types, & Present Status
Constitutional Conservatism: American & British
Liberalism
Classical Liberalism: Intellectual Foundations
Classical Liberalism: Conservative Liberalism
Manchester Liberalism & Social Darwinism
Modern Social "Liberalism": Statist "Liberalism"
Radical & Totalitarian Ideologies
Radicalism, Utopianism, & Totalitarianism
Christopher G. Adamo is a resident of southeastern Wyoming. He has been involved in politics at the local and state level for many years. His contact
information and article archives can be found at www.chrisadamo.com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity